TRUE OR
FALSE?
GOD’S GIFT OF
“ETERNAL LIFE” IS GIVEN TO ALL WHO SIMPLY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST!
If it is true, what exactly must one do to receive this
gift of eternal life? In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 47, the
Apostle John recorded his eyewitness testimony of what Jesus Himself said: “Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
NKJV [everlasting life and eternal life are synonymous terms in the Bible].
Jesus clearly states in this verse that anyone who believes (trusts) in
Him receives eternal life. But, what is it that we need to believe about Jesus?
The Apostle John makes it clear in John 20:30-31: …that Jesus is the Christ
[Christ means Messiah], the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life [eternal life] in His Name. NKJV; in other words,
to believe in Him is equivalent to believing that He is the Christ [Messiah],
the Son of God. Now, notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: “he who
believes in Me has everlasting life.” He did not say will have,
He said has. Simply put, God’s gift of eternal life (Ephesians 2:8) is
given to believers instantaneously at their moment of faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ; in other words, the very second a person is persuaded of the truth
about what God’s Word says a person must do to receive eternal salvation (like
when the Jailer asked the Apostle Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30-31 – 30…“Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…) and then simply believes in Jesus
Christ, he/she instantaneously possesses everlasting life [John 6:47]; it’s
really that simple—nothing more and nothing less. Therefore, the correct
answer to the opening question is: True!
Furthermore, the mental act of believing in Jesus Christ is all that’s needed to be saved. The very second anyone crosses the line from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ, they are saved [that is, saved from the great white throne judgment of all unbelievers at the end of time and from being cast into the lake of fire which would be eternal separation from God, Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:24]. In other words, the new believer now actually possesses God’s gift of eternal life; meaning he or she is guaranteed: 1) unending life [meaning, the believers eternal relationship with God will never end, not even at physical death]; 2) resurrection to a new glorified physical body that will be immortal; and 3) eternal participation in the world to come, (Titus 3:4-7; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:38-40), all this plus much, much, much more comes with simply believing in Jesus Christ. And, it is literally impossible to ever lose your eternal life or have it taken from you (John 10:28-29), not even if you later change your mind and stop believing [if that were to happen, the born-again believer will most likely experience serious discipline from God and lose some or all of any temporal and/or eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) that person may have accumulated from any good works he/she had accomplished while in the Spirit, but you can never change the fact that you once believed; therefore, eternal life can never be lost or taken from you, no matter what!). Another way to think of it would be, if you could lose eternal life, God would not have used the words “eternal” or “everlasting” life. How long is eternal life? Forever!
It is Jesus the Christ [Messiah], who is both true humanity and undiminished deity as the Son of God in one person who is the object in the eternal salvation of the unbeliever; for all who by simple faith alone believe in Him alone, the result to the one who believes will be the instant gift of eternal life (John 20:30-31). It’s important to understand that belief in Him is truly a mental act of believing that Jesus’ promise of everlasting life is true and then it’s entirely up to the unbeliever to believe in Him, when you have believed mentally in Him, that is the actual point of saving faith. In other words, the point of saving faith, the mental act of believing actually occurs before you are able to formulate in your mind what to say to God in audible words like when you learned something new in school, you believed in your mind first then you formulated the words, in thought only, “I get it”, believing always happens in the mind first, never audibly. Therefore, the magnificence of God’s infinite knowledge hears the unbelievers thought of belief in Christ instantly as he or she thinks it and just as instantly that unbeliever is saved (given eternal life). Hallelujah!
Furthermore, the mental act of believing in Jesus Christ is all that’s needed to be saved. The very second anyone crosses the line from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ, they are saved [that is, saved from the great white throne judgment of all unbelievers at the end of time and from being cast into the lake of fire which would be eternal separation from God, Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:24]. In other words, the new believer now actually possesses God’s gift of eternal life; meaning he or she is guaranteed: 1) unending life [meaning, the believers eternal relationship with God will never end, not even at physical death]; 2) resurrection to a new glorified physical body that will be immortal; and 3) eternal participation in the world to come, (Titus 3:4-7; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:38-40), all this plus much, much, much more comes with simply believing in Jesus Christ. And, it is literally impossible to ever lose your eternal life or have it taken from you (John 10:28-29), not even if you later change your mind and stop believing [if that were to happen, the born-again believer will most likely experience serious discipline from God and lose some or all of any temporal and/or eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) that person may have accumulated from any good works he/she had accomplished while in the Spirit, but you can never change the fact that you once believed; therefore, eternal life can never be lost or taken from you, no matter what!). Another way to think of it would be, if you could lose eternal life, God would not have used the words “eternal” or “everlasting” life. How long is eternal life? Forever!
It is Jesus the Christ [Messiah], who is both true humanity and undiminished deity as the Son of God in one person who is the object in the eternal salvation of the unbeliever; for all who by simple faith alone believe in Him alone, the result to the one who believes will be the instant gift of eternal life (John 20:30-31). It’s important to understand that belief in Him is truly a mental act of believing that Jesus’ promise of everlasting life is true and then it’s entirely up to the unbeliever to believe in Him, when you have believed mentally in Him, that is the actual point of saving faith. In other words, the point of saving faith, the mental act of believing actually occurs before you are able to formulate in your mind what to say to God in audible words like when you learned something new in school, you believed in your mind first then you formulated the words, in thought only, “I get it”, believing always happens in the mind first, never audibly. Therefore, the magnificence of God’s infinite knowledge hears the unbelievers thought of belief in Christ instantly as he or she thinks it and just as instantly that unbeliever is saved (given eternal life). Hallelujah!
Merry Christmas
Mark & Lottie
<3
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